Box of books

"The Greenies package says 18 per day is OK but my dad will only give me 5!"

    Later this morning I’m taking a box of books down to Smith Family Bookstore. I’ve got an appointment with one of their buyers. Normally when downsizing my book collection (a rare occurrence, to be sure), I’d just donate them to a thrift store, but this time I thought “what the heck?” and decided to see if I can get a little cash for ‘em. If the yield is good, it might encourage me to downsize more! I’ve got a fair number of cool and interesting books that I’ll likely never open again. Swedish Death Cleaning suggests getting rid of them now so that nobody has to deal with them “later.” My gadget fund would gladly accept the proceeds.

Yesterday we hiked a path on the southwestern slopes of the Thurston Hills Natural Area. I took a camera-lens combo I don’t normally use for nature and wildlife outings, but I was just wanting to use it. It had been pestering my brain for a couple days—the Lumix GX85 range-finder-style camera plus Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens. Since that’s a micro four thirds (2X crop sensor) setup, 20mm equals about a 40 mm angle-of-view in full frame (old school 35mm film) terms, so it sits between the “nifty fifty” and standard 35mm focal lengths. I used it successfully for street photography last summer and fall. Not a birding lens, for sure, but I enjoyed getting landscapes and closeups with it yesterday. It’s very light on my neck (the 20mm is tiny), hanging from a climbing-rope style strap. And now I’m kind of chomping at the bit to get out and do some urban snapping with it, hiking the streets of nearby neighborhoods, downtown, and the university district. And maybe Glenwood and Springfield. Just four months until I qualify for “Honored Rider” status and a free LTD city bus pass! “Have camera, will ride.”